The Slave Princess Every Night - Chapter 13

Not long after she began to develop into a woman, marriage proposals from various countries flooded the palace.

Not only from the neighboring kingdom of Brellin, but also from the distant Duchy of Staufen. The proposals from viscounts and barons with territories in the provinces were so numerous that they were practically tripping over each other. Dukes, and even princes from other countries, were sending gifts to win her favor. If she had chosen the best conditions for marriage, Lena could have become the queen of a nation.

But all of that was useless. Because the one who actually existed was Prince Regnos, not Princess Lenazia. The Fourth Queen had a hard time writing rejection letters and returning the gifts.

But among all those rejected proposals, there was Godfrey’s as well?

Before he started his conquests, that is, before Godfrey ascended to the throne, Taringia was just a small, remote country. It was not even comparable to the historically rich kingdom of Aitalos, let alone countries like Brellin or Staufen.

So, it was easy to imagine how his proposal had been treated.

“Then, you…”

Complex thoughts raced through her mind. But soon they turned into incoherent thoughts that lost their linguistic form and scattered, and heavy eyelids covered everything.

‘Did you know about me from the beginning?’

* * *

Lena fell asleep, swallowing the question whole. She wandered through a hazy consciousness like fog and dreamed.

A darkened palace. Lena was squatting in a secluded corridor overlooking a quiet garden.

A grand banquet was being held in the palace, and guests from other countries were enjoying food and entertainment. Even if one were to leave the banquet hall, it was common to go to the grand garden outside the main gate, so the chilly corridor, which could only be reached by finding and opening a secluded side door, was naturally deserted.

“What are you doing there?”

Lena was startled by the sudden, clumsy Aitalosian.

When she stood up, she saw a boy slightly shorter than herself. Dark hair covered his eyes, and his sharp jawline and pale skin stood out even in the darkness.

Judging by his appearance, he was not an Aitalosian royal, nor was his manner of speaking. He was probably one of the guests at the banquet who had lost his way.

“Just… nothing.”

Lena mumbled.

Even in a banquet where everyone was enjoying themselves, when so many important people gathered, a tug-of-war of power naturally occurred. Lena had neither the capacity nor the qualification to be in that aLena of competition.

Inside the banquet hall, the Second and Third Princes flaunted their powerful connections and revealed their rivalry. The King of Aitalos was also busy gauging the wealth and military power of other countries through the entry and behavior of foreign envoys. The queen’s battle of wills was, of course, a given.

In such situations, even young princesses and princes learned a great deal. The Fourth Queen had Regnos wear a wig and dress for the first time in a long time, dressing him up as the usual ‘Princess Lenazia’.

So it was only natural that Lena could not enter the banquet hall. According to the Fourth Queen’s prior instructions, she was not to step out of her chambers, but the palace, emptied by the servants who had gone to attend the banquet, was lonely and scary.

Of course, she couldn’t enter the banquet hall, but she didn’t want to be far from the warmth and vitality she felt there, so she was secretly sitting in a place like this.

The boy’s face, which had come closer, was revealed in the light of the lamp hanging on the pillar. Lenazia was momentarily mesmerized by his very pretty face, and then became frightened at the thought that he might be one of the honored guests.

‘What if I get caught?’

In preparation for any situation, she had disguised her appearance to be the same as Regnos inside the hall. But if the boy had ever spoken to Regnos, he might notice the difference in voice and atmosphere.

“P-please go in. This is not a place for guests.”

As Lena mumbled and turned her head, the boy stared at her and opened his mouth again in a clumsy tone.

“You speak differently than you do in the banquet hall.”

“……”

Her heart was pounding. The crisis of being discovered, which had never happened in years, had come in this way. It was too late to regret loitering near the banquet hall.

She had to do something to fix it, so it would be best to guide this boy to his lodgings naturally. It would be very troublesome if he went back into the banquet hall and found out that ‘Princess Lenazia’ was both inside and outside.

‘What should I do?’

Living in the palace under a false identity for years, she had learned that it was important to act smoothly in times like this. Lena recalled the guest list for this banquet in her head. Although Regnos was supposed to attend the banquet, the strict Fourth Queen had, of course, made Lena memorize the attendance list in advance.

‘Ah.’

Come to think of it, the boy’s appearance was probably that of Prince Taringia. Taringia was a small country, but it was a natural fortress with military potential, so Lena’s curriculum included the language of Taringia.

“Everyone speaks a little differently when they are surrounded by people… and when they are alone.”

It was a little stuttering, but it was Taringian that sounded reasonably natural. The boy’s eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn’t expected to hear it in a foreign country.

“……Is that so.”

Young Godfrey closed his mouth. Looking at it again, the atmosphere, which had seemed completely different, seemed to be explained by such words. As far as he was concerned, he preferred this quiet Lena to the arrogant and pretentious princess in the banquet hall. He had never expected her to recognize him and speak to him in Taringian.

Thinking about it, the figure illuminated by the dim lamp seemed to exude a strange beauty than in the light of the ornate chandelier.

“If you’re going back to your room now, would you like me to show you the way?”

“Yes. Please.”

Fortunately for Lenazia, the boy followed her obediently. Unlike the simple structure of the Taringian palace, the Aitalosian palace was much more complex and easy to get lost in. There was no reason to refuse when someone who lived here volunteered to guide him.

Lena picked up a stick hanging on the wall and moved the lamp to the end of it. The boy, who was following her, stared at the girl’s profile illuminated by the crimson lamp. The girl, who was walking forward, noticed his gaze and gave him a soft smile.

Unlike those she had met so far, he did not approach her because of her appearance and then back away when he heard her origins. He didn’t openly laugh at her for being from a small country.

That was what the boy, Godfrey, found refreshing.

Instead, Lena smiled brightly as she held the lamp and led the way. Unfortunately, Lena in those days had no idea how beautiful that smile looked.

Lenazia continued to dream.

“Lena.”

“Mom!”

Colorful lights filled the streets under the night sky. A parade of musicians swept past them.

“You have to hold Mom’s hand tight. It’ll be a disaster if you get lost.”

“Okay!”

Lena grabbed her mother’s hand tightly with her small hand. Even to her young eyes, the street where the festival was being held was so crowded that if she got swept away by mistake, she might never see her mother again.

Life as a maid in a noble family was mostly hard, and she was rarely given a chance to rest properly. But if there was a day when even the stingy masters gave freedom to the servants, it was the Harvest Festival, which came once a year.

The woman, who had brought her young daughter out for the first time in a long time, enjoyed the sights here and there. She watched the performances of the strongmen and bought street food to share with her daughter.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah!”

Something caught Lena’s eye as she spent a dreamlike night. It was a wooden doll sold at a stall.

The child’s eyes soon became more sparkling than ever. The delicately carved and painted doll looked as gorgeous and pretty as any princess.

Lena stopped walking at some point because she could only see the doll. The woman turned to look at her daughter and checked what was at the end of her gaze.

“Do you want that?”

Lena was startled and shook her head. She had been staring at it without thinking because it was so pretty, but she knew that such a doll was too expensive to actually buy.

“N-no……”

The clumsy lie was soon evident on her youthful face. Her mother hesitated for a moment, then went to the stall and paid for the doll.

“Wow!”

When she held the doll in her arms, Lena smiled as if she had the whole world.

“Are you that happy?”

The girl took her mother’s hand again and walked on. The night of the festival was still dazzling and enchanting.

* * *

“Mother…….”

Godfrey, who was finishing getting ready to leave, turned around at the faint whisper in the Emperor’s chamber, where morning sunlight streamed in through the drawn curtains. Clear tears were flowing down Lena’s face, which was half-buried in the pillow.

He hesitated, then reached out his hand. Whoever was coming out, it was better to be pulled into reality than to be trapped in a sad dream.

“Lena.”

“……!”

Lena woke up easily, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit. The man’s hand touched her face, stroking it as if to comfort her.

“I’ve instructed Melgard to make sure you are always accompanied by attendants when you go out.”

For a moment, she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Lena just blinked, then finally realized the meaning and jumped up.

“……!”

Really, she could go outside this prison-like bedroom.

She looked at him as if demanding an explanation, but Godfrey left the room with his aides who had come to meet him, without elaborating or retracting his words.

Lena, left behind, realized that she could finally go outside.

It was the day when her promise with Regnos was just around the corner.

***

The eastern garden of the Imperial Palace.

This garden, which connected the Emperor’s chamber and office, was a space only allowed to the Emperor’s close aides. A man and a woman dressed in splendid attire were walking along a path through the greenery where yellow flowers bloomed.

“I have no idea what His Majesty is thinking!”

The man wearing a wide-brimmed hat was Duke Kernten. He complained to his niece, who was following him, about the Emperor.

“He postpones the ceremony with you day after day, even though you are betrothed, and instead plays around with some beggar-like vassal state girl!”

“That’s because that vulgar woman is appealing to His Majesty, bewitching him.”

“That should not be allowed! Even if he wants to stray for a moment, how many Taringian noble ladies are there with both excellent lineage and beauty!”

Hilderude’s thoughts were a little different. She liked that the woman who was playing around with the Emperor was an Aitalos woman with no backing, as it meant she could retaliate without worrying about repercussions. If it had been a Taringian noble’s daughter who had charmed the Emperor, she didn’t even want to imagine it. Even so, she would never just stand by.

“That’s not all.”

Duke Kernten continued, stroking his well-groomed mustache.

“Last week, Count Dirk played around with a commoner girl, and I barely stopped him from being sentenced to imprisonment with the help of other nobles. What does he think nobles are!”

Hilderude quickly looked around. If she were caught badmouthing the Emperor in the Emperor’s garden by the opposing faction, or by Godfrey himself, it would be very troublesome.

Noticing his niece’s intention, Duke Kernten lowered his voice and continued his slander.

“It’s also a problem that he’s still harping on the gift Duke Ian received last year! Does that make sense? Bribery, he says. What kind of person is Duke Ian? Is it right to punish him because a few nobles showed him some respect?”

“Yes. Yes, it’s not right.”